Established in 1893, Helen Keller Services mission is to enable individuals who are blind or have vision loss to live, work and thrive in their communities of choice. We are a pioneer in the field of blindness rehabilitation and education and now we are expanding into services for preschool children on the Autistic Spectrum. Serving children from birth to age 5, the Children’s Learning Center is the only center in New York City that specializes in serving children who are visually impaired, blind and/or have multiple disabilities and now we are opening classrooms for children on the Spectrum.

This is an exciting time to join our team here at Helen Keller Services. We have opened a new school that we designed from the ground up. The new classrooms are large and well furnished with lots of adaptive toys and equipment. The classrooms have 8 children, 1 teacher and 2 assistant teachers in them. The teaching staff is encouraged to be creative in their lesson planning and learning materials are plentiful. We are centrally located at 180 Livingston Street which is accessible by the B, D, F, A, C, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4, and 5 trains. This is a full-time staff positions with full benefits including a 403B retirement plan and a tuition reimbursement program. We follow the New York City Department of Education calendar plus a 6-week summer session.

The Assistant Teacher will work in the Children’s Learning Center preschool and early intervention programs assisting the classroom teacher as needed. This involves working with groups of children and 1:1 with one particular child as mandated by the child’s IEP. This position runs on a 32.5-hour work week.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Instructional Duties

• Provides instruction to students as directed by the teacher and guided by goals and objectives on the IEP.
• Maintains a safe and healthy environment for the children in the classroom, during gym time, community trips and during bussing.
• Supports individual students during group instruction as needed and directed to do.
• Reinforces techniques from Therapy as directed by teacher and therapists.
• Assists students in self-care activities (eating, dressing, toileting) and gives level of support appropriate to the students' level of functioning.
• Maintains a positive attitude and verbal tone with all children and praises them when appropriate.
• Attend to child when they are communicating, respect that communication, and respond to them appropriately!
• Encourage communication, play, and social interaction between children.
• Accompanies class on field trips and trips in the neighborhood.
• Assists teacher, as requested, with any documentation concerning students and classroom activities.

Interaction with and concerning Families.

• Maintain cordial and open communication with families at the school, and parent center, and any school function.
• Communicates to teacher information from or about the families that is relevant to the children and class.

Maintaining the classroom

• Keeps track of classroom supplies and gets supplies for class as needed, submits receipts and forms for any approved petty cash.
• Organizes teaching materials, toys, and other classroom items.
• Prepares and organizes materials and set up for individual and group lessons.
• Cleans and disinfects toys and equipment as needed.
• Responsible for any and all other duties as may be deemed necessary for safe, efficient, and effective operation of the classroom and program.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• High School Diploma or equivalency required.
• Experience in a preschool setting preferred.
• Experience with children with disabilities especially those with vision impairments a plus.

PREFERRED EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Associate degree in Early Childhood Education and 2 years’ experience in a Special Education Preschool setting.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

New York State certified as a Level I Assistant Teacher

Position Benefits

• New York City Department of Education calendar, 32.5-hour workweek
• Medical insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Voluntary Ancillary benefits
• 403b plan w/employer match
• Career advancement opportunities

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8-hour shift

Supplemental pay types:

• Signing bonus

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Brooklyn, NY 11201: Reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (Required)

Application Question(s):

• Are you fully vaccinated against Covid -19?

Experience:

• Special education: 1 year (Preferred)